Pelkey was born in Göppingen, Germany. His mother, Carla, was a post-war refugee from Yugoslavia. His father, Charles F. Pelkey Sr. was a Master Sergeant in the 503rd Engineer Light Equipment Company of the U.S. Army. Pelkey's parents separated in 1964 and his mother moved to Denver, Colorado with her three children in 1966. Pelkey graduated from Iver C. Ranum High School in Westminster, Colorado, in 1976, before moving to Laramie to attend the University of Wyoming in August of that year. Pelkey and Diana Denison were married on August 6, 1986. They have two children, Philip and Annika.
Education, career and personal life
Pelkey attended the University of Wyoming as an undergraduate, but never earned a degree, instead embarking on a 25-year career as a journalist. Pelkey worked as a reporter for Wyoming Public Radio and then as a reporter at Wyoming's Casper Star-Tribune, before leaving to join the staff of U.S. Senator Alan K. Simpson. Pelkey served as the then-GOP-Whip's Press Secretary. In 1994, Pelkey became an editor at the cycling magazine VeloNews and spent 17 years reporting on the sport of professional cycling. He served as the magazine's lead reporter covering the sport's doping problem. Pelkey was portrayed by British-American actor Nathan Wiley in the 2015 film The Program, a biopic based on Sunday Times of London reporter David Walsh's book, . In 2006 Pelkey applied for admission to the University of Wyoming College of Law and was awarded a Juris Doctorate in 2009. He is a founding partner of the Laramie-based criminal defense law firm, Neubauer, Pelkey, & Goldfinger, LLP. In 2011, Pelkey was diagnosed with breast cancer. He underwent a lumpectomy, a double mastectomy and five months' of chemo therapy. He has often served as a spokesman for that small minority of patients suffering from male breast cancer arguing that the most dangerous aspect of the disease is that many men do not believe that they can get breast cancer, leading to a late diagnosis and often-fatal results.
Elections
2014
In 2014, Pelkey announced his candidacy and ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Republican Representative Matt Greene announced his retirement and Pelkey faced Republican candidate Charles Young in the general election. Pelkey won the seat by a 53% to 47% margin. Pelkey's win was one of three Democratic pickups in the state, as Democrats gained seats in the legislature.
2016
In January 2016, Pelkey was the only member of the Wyoming Legislature to endorse Bernie Sanders for President in advance of that state's presidential caucuses. Pelkey was unopposed in the Democratic Party's August, 2016 primary. He defeated Republican Tom Schmit in November's General Election, winning with a margin of 52.29% to 47.71%. Following the 2016 General Election, Pelkey was elected as Minority Whip of the Wyoming House.
2018
Pelkey filed for reelection to a third term in May 2018. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and faced Republican Roxie Hensley in November's general election. Pelkey won the election, earning 60.1% of the vote to Hensley's 39.9%. Following the November election, Pelkey was re-elected as Minority Whip in the Wyoming House by members of the Democratic caucus.
2020
On the final day of the 2020 budget session, Pelkey announced his retirement from the Legislature. He subsequently endorsed local community activist, Karlee Provenza's campaign for Wyoming's House District 45.
